Functional art from vintage and recycled objects

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Vintage Steam Shovel Accent Lamp

$185

This lovely little lamp is made from a vintage Buddy L Department of Highway 1410 Power Shovel, likely from the 1930s or 40s. I can hear toy collectors screaming about cutting holes in it, but in our defence, it was in pretty rough shape, and missing some things (like the caterpillar treads) that would have made it a collectible. We gave it a good cleaning and sealing to avoid any further rusting, fixed the cab back on securely and added a reproduction Edison bulb so it could find new life as an accent lamp. The shovel can even be raised and lowered, but the cab doesn’t swivel (for safety reasons – something to do with not wanting to schmuck the bulb on the way by).